Apple’s AirPods Pro hearing health features are as good as they sound

Apple announced a trio of awesome caller proceeding wellness features for the AirPods Pro 2 successful September including clinical-grade proceeding assistance functionality, a proceeding test, and much robust proceeding protection. All 3 will rotation retired adjacent week pinch the merchandise of iOS 18.1, and they could people a watershed moment for proceeding wellness awareness. Apple is astir to instantly move the world’s astir celebrated earbuds into an over-the-counter proceeding aid.

That besides intends we’re astir to participate an era wherever we’ll request to get comfortable pinch group wearing earbuds astatine each times. There’s a cognition that leaving your earbuds successful while talking pinch different group is rude. Transparency mode successful galore of today’s earbuds sounds wholly earthy and lifelike, yet I still perpetually region my buds to show personification they’ve sewage my undivided attention. That measurement of reasoning has to alteration erstwhile celebrated earbuds commencement pulling double work arsenic proceeding aids. It’s a powerful measurement to trim the stigma that’s each excessively communal pinch proceeding aids, but this displacement will return time.

Over the past respective days, I’ve been capable to preview Apple’s proceeding wellness features. At times, the acquisition has been emotionally intense. I’m personification who grew up pinch a Discman and iPod fundamentally attached to my hip, and I’ve been to countless concerts complete the decades. I besides haven’t seen an audiologist since 2018 aliases so. That’s thing but unusual; Apple says 80 percent of adults successful the US haven’t had their proceeding checked successful astatine slightest 5 years. Putting a trial correct connected your iPhone is simply a surefire measurement to amended that trend.

Prevention: proceeding protection

Did you cognize location are group who’ve already been replacing receptor plugs pinch the AirPods Pro astatine concerts? Until this fall, Apple had ne'er endorsed specified a usage lawsuit aliases advertised its earbuds arsenic proceeding protection devices. The institution knew group were doing it, but kept quiet connected the subject.

That’s now changed. With iOS 18.1 and the soon-to-be-released AirPods firmware update, the AirPods Pro 2 will connection proceeding protection astatine each times crossed sound cancellation, transparency, and adaptive audio modes. There’s nary “concert mode” aliases a circumstantial mounting to toggle. You tin deliberation of this arsenic an description of the large sound simplification action that was already successful place. Hearing protection is connected by default, and Apple says “an all-new multiband precocious move scope algorithm” helps to sphere the earthy sound of concerts and different unrecorded events.

Which listening mode you’ll usage for concerts comes down to individual preference. I’ve recovered adaptive audio useful good since it lets you customize whether you for illustration much sound cancellation aliases much passthrough. But moreover successful afloat transparency mode, immoderate level of proceeding protection is active. The much sound cancellation that’s applied, the longer you tin stay successful comparatively large environments.

There are limits to what the AirPods Pro 2 tin handle; Apple’s proceeding protection isn’t trim retired for highly loud, abrupt noises for illustration gunfire, fireworks, aliases a jackhammer. Sustained noises complete 110 dBa are besides excessively overmuch for the earbuds. Some clubs and concerts tin decidedly transcend that threshold, truthful beryllium aware.

Awareness: the Apple proceeding test

You’ll request a quiet abstraction erstwhile taking Apple’s proceeding test. Before getting started, your iPhone will do a speedy study of receptor extremity fresh and biology sound to guarantee you’re bully to go. All of these proceeding wellness features are calibrated for Apple’s banal silicone tips, truthful if you’re utilizing aftermarket third-party tips (including foam), there’s nary guarantee you’ll get the optimal experience. Once the trial begins, you conscionable pat the surface whenever you perceive immoderate of the three-beep reside sequences.

There are a fewer cardinal things to cognize astir Apple’s proceeding test. For one, it’s designed truthful that you can’t foretell aliases crippled it. The trial tin play immoderate wave astatine immoderate time, truthful nary 2 are the same. Apple tests your near receptor first, and here’s thing I wish I’d known going in: it’s completely normal to perceive thing astatine each for respective seconds astatine a time. It was successful those moments, erstwhile five, six, aliases moreover 10 seconds would walk by without an evident reside sequence, wherever I’d commencement emotion beautiful anxious. 

My champion proposal is to debar wondering if you should beryllium proceeding thing astatine a fixed infinitesimal and alternatively conscionable attraction connected the tones arsenic they come. Some tin beryllium incredibly faint. There are ocular cues that fto you cognize the trial is still moving on moreover during soundlessness — the astir evident 1 being a ample circle that animates onscreen passim the process. (You’ll besides announcement a advancement dial for each receptor that fills arsenic you return it.)

I took the trial doubly respective days apart, and my results for some ears autumn nether “little to nary proceeding loss.” Having precocious turned 40, I’ll return that. But I besides learned that my near receptor has decidedly mislaid a spot much complete the years than my right, which is thing I’ve ne'er noticed successful regular life.

The flimsy quality betwixt my 2 tests is precisely the separator that Apple expects for group who return it aggregate times. Results are stored successful the Health app, wherever you tin export individual tests (or each of them) arsenic a pdf. Here’s really 1 of excavation charts out:

You tin besides import charts from tests you’ve taken pinch a proceeding professional. This information is what’s utilized to configure the proceeding assistance feature.

Apple’s proceeding trial only takes astir 5 minutes, but it felt for illustration a long 5 minutes for maine and everyone other I’ve fto effort it. Again, that’s astir apt because it’s been excessively agelong since galore of america person done this. The 2nd clip wasn’t astir arsenic stressful. I tin decidedly spot the proceeding trial having a viral infinitesimal connected TikTok and different societal media, which seems for illustration a awesome point for consciousness each around. Hearing nonaccomplishment is incredibly common: 1.5 cardinal group astir the world are surviving pinch immoderate grade of it, according to the World Health Organization.

Assistance: AirPods arsenic proceeding aids

For those 18 years and older pinch mild to mean proceeding loss, the AirPods Pro 2 tin now service arsenic a clinical-grade proceeding aid. Once enabled, you tin besides toggle connected a “Media Assist” mounting that uses your proceeding trial results to optimize the sound of music, telephone calls, and video content.

Within the settings menu, you tin usage sliders to good tune the proceeding assistance feature’s amplification, tone, and balance. These options are besides accessible via Control Center connected an iPhone, iPad, aliases Mac. Much for illustration you tin descent a digit connected the AirPods Pro 2 stem to set volume, you tin usage that aforesaid motion to power amplification erstwhile the proceeding assistance mode is active. You tin only usage the proceeding assistance characteristic erstwhile successful transparency mode. Apple’s instructions for the proceeding assistance characteristic counsel that it takes clip (in immoderate cases weeks) for customers to get afloat accustomed to the sound.

Being capable to usage Apple’s $250 earbuds arsenic a proceeding assistance is simply a immense woody for those who tin use from this capability. But they won’t beryllium correct for everyone. People pinch much terrible proceeding nonaccomplishment will still request to activity different solutions. And the main tradeoff pinch the AirPods Pro 2 is artillery life: they tin past for astir six hours pinch the proceeding assistance engaged, which doesn’t lucifer what you’ll get from galore OTC and medicine proceeding aids.

But this is simply a large milestone — and it seems inevitable that Samsung, Google, and different tech heavyweights will travel Apple’s lead reasonably quickly. I’m each for that, moreover if it feels unusual that proceeding assistance functionality has go the latest facet of ecosystem lock-in. We spent a agelong clip bemoaning the nonaccomplishment of the headphone jack. With advancements for illustration this, and earbuds helping to amended value of life for truthful galore people, we’re yet starting to spot a worthwhile payoff.

Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge